2004-2005 Season

2004-2005 Alpine
2004-2005 Nordic

Alpine

NASTAR    Masters League    Welch Village    Sunday January 23, 2005
Temperature  15 F   8 to 10 inches New Snow
Aliisa Saari 
 		 Gold Medal HS-10 Teal
Phil Saari Gold Medal HS-10 Teal

NASTAR  Masters League   Welch Village   Sunday January 16, 2005
Temperature 0 F   Old Man Made Snow

 
Aliisa Saari Gold Medal HS-0 White
Phil Saari Gold Medal HS-0 White


Midwest Ski League, Afton Alps Thursday,   1-27-05
Temperature 12 F, Wind -Calm

Kevin Anderson Fastest 2 Runs Atomic SX Beta 5 HS-0 White 
Fine Grind
Kevin gave some waxing advise to Race Director  Nathan Hacketh
Nahtan Hacketh Second Fastest 2 Runs  Atomic SX 11 HS-10 Green 
Medium Grind

Midwest Ski League, Afton Alps Wednesday 1-26-05
Temperature 12 F, Wind - Calm

 
Kevin Anderson Fastest 2 Runs Atomic SX Beta 5 HS-10 Green 
Fine Grind

Midwest Ski League, Afton Alps Sunday 1-23-05
Temperature 17 F, Wind 10mph SW
 
Kevin Anderson Fastest 2 Runs Atomic SX Beta 5 HS-10 Green 
Fine Grind

Midwest Ski League, Afton Alps Thursday 1-20-05
Temperature 23 F, Wind - Calm
 
Kevin Anderson Fastest 4 Runs Atomic SX Beta 5 HSF-20 Tan 
Fine Grind

Midwest Ski League, Afton Alps  Wednesday 1-19-05
Temperature 28 F Wind 5 mph NW

 
Kevin Anderson Fastest 2 Runs Atomic SX Beta 5 HSF -20 Tan 
Fine Grind

Midwest Ski League,   Afton Alps,   Sunday 1-16-05
Temperature -1 F,  Wind NW  10 mph
Kevin Anderson Fastest 2 Runs Atomic SX Beta 5 HS-0 White 
Fine Grind
Midwest Ski League,  Afton Alps  Thursday  1-13-05
Temperature -8 F, 15 MPH wind from the NW 
Kevin Anderson Fastest 4 runs of the Evening Atomic Beta HS-0 White 
Fine Grind

Midwest Ski League,  Afton Alps  Wednesday 1-12-05
Temperature 28 F, 5 MPH wind form the NW with light snow flurries 
Kevin Anderson Fastest 2 Runs of the Evening Atomic Beta HSF-20 Tan 
Fine Grind

Midwest Pacesetters,  Welsch Village  Tuesday December 21
Temperature 4 F, 25 MPH NW wind
Kevin Anderson Atomic HS-0 White over HS_10 Teal 3rd Age Group 
4th Overall
Kevin Anderson Atomic HS-0 White over HS-10 Teal 2nd Age Group 
4th Overall

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Nordic


Sibley Ski Tour  Thunder Bay, Ontario Saturday, March 5  race starting in mid-twenties F and rapidly warming
50K Freestyle
Nikolai Anikin 4th overall HSF-20 Tan Atomic
20K Freestyle
Clay Diggins 2nd overall HSF-30 Salmon Atomic
 There was a BIG change from the predicted weather here:  48 hours before the race, the race temps were predicted to be in the single digits to lower teens F...then the predictions began warming...we changed our recommendation to Tan on Friday, but the actual weather was warmer yet.  Nikolai found that the Tan tested well before the race, but the rapid warm-up during the race resulted in slower skis at the end. He felt that Salmon/Flite would have been a better choice.  Clay had rewaxed his skis with Salmon the night before the race, and found it ran well.


Governor's Cup  Camp Ripley, Little Falls, MN Saturday, March 5  temp 38 F, wet snow
Dave Christopherson 9th overall, 1st age group HSF-30 Salmon/Flite #11 Rossi, Beste grind


American Birkebeiner Ski Race  Cable/Hayward, WI  Saturday, February 26  start temp -4F rising to upper twenties F
51K Freestyle
Nikolai Anikin 19th overall, 4th age group HSF-20 Tan Atomic 
Josie Nelson 28th female, 6th age group HS-0 White over HSF20 Tan Rossignol
Dave Nelson 45th overall HS-0 White over HSF20 Tan Rossignol
Kati Campbell 52nd female, 1st age group HS-0 White over HSF20 Tan Atomic
Grant Nelson 81st overall HS-0 White over HSF20 Tan Fischer
Ross Dreger 118 overall HSF-20 Tan Rossignol
Dave Christopherson 185 overall, 2nd age group HSF-20 Tan Rossignol
Clay Diggins 210 overall HS-10 Teal Atomic RS-11 factory grind
John Stamm 312 overall HSF-20 Tan Fischer 610 factory grind
Randy Larson 405 overall HS-0 White over HSF20 Tan Atomic RS-10 linear grind
Dan Meyer 728 overall HS-10 Teal over HSF20 Tan Atomic RS10 unigrind
51K Classic
Katherine Himes 2nd female HSF-20 Tan Fischer
23K Korteloppet
Deb Diggins 45th female, 4th age group HSF-10 Green over HSF20 Atomic RS-11 factory grind
Jessie Diggins 49th female, 2nd age group HSF-20 Tan Atomic RS-10 factory grind
Vicki Larson 94th female, 2nd age group HSF-20 Tan Atomic
Everyone had skis set up exactly as the website recommended:  2 layers of HSF-20 Tan over a layer of HS-20 Blue.
Some had an extra pair of skis set up with a colder wax.  But the much colder than predicted temps that arrived overnight led to a variety of morning decisions.  Those who stayed with the Tan were happy with their skis.  Nikolai Anikin found his skis comparable to or slightly better than the Top 20 finishers he was skiing with. Katherine Himes also felt she had excellent glide in the classic tracks on Tan.  A number of skiers quickly added a layer of HS-0 White over top of their Tan skis, with mixed results.  Josie and Dave found this resulted in awesome glide; for Randy and Kati results were more average.  John added White over Tan on one pair of skis and ended up choosing the pair that were straight Tan after testing both in the stadium area.  He had outstanding glide on the Tan, leaving a lot of skiers behind on the downhills.  Clay picked his backup pair of skis that were set up with Teal and also experienced excellent skis.  So did Dan Meyer on an added layer of  Teal over Tan, finishing in under 3 hours despite a serious injury earlier in the season.  Deb chose a pair of skis that had a layer of HSF-10 Green added over top of the Tan layers, and had excellent glide, especially in the sunny areas.
A number of factors led to the success of  Tan wax well below its peak air temperature range.  First, the sun warmed up the snow very quickly, bringing snow temps up into the Tan range much sooner than the air temps.  Second, the trail quickly became polished by skiers, which rounds the snow crystals and makes them act like they are warmer than they actually are.  Finally, Tan has a very wide range, and is often used successfully in mountain races with similarly wide air temperature fluctuations.
None of the race team used Flite #11, which was not recommended for this race.
Speed at any cost only cost you $34.95 with Fast Wax Tan, which ran just as fast in the TOP 20 pack as all other brands' considerably more expensive recommendations.  We promise to keep recommending the right wax as best we can determine it... not costly combinations that will improve our profit but won't improve your results.

Book Across the Bay  Ashland, WI  10K freestyle Saturday, February 19 temps upper single digits F
Nikolai Anikin WINNER HSF-10 Green Atomic


Mora Vasaloppet  Mora, MN Sunday, February 13  temps low to mid 30's F, cloudy
Thanks to all the skiers who told us how happy they were with their glide using the Salmon/Flite #11 combination that we recommended!  We're glad you enjoyed the race!
42K Classic
Grant Nelson 1st age group, 2nd overall HSF-30 Salmon/Flite #11 Fischer
Katherine Himes 1st age group, 8th female HSF-30 Salmon/Flite #11 Fischer, light rill
Dave Nelson 2nd age group, 17th overall HSF-30 Salmon/Flite #11
Good glide for all; Katherine used a green base klister with purple klister over top, covered by orange, for kick; but lost grip after 18K.  Grant used a mix of klisters and had plenty of grip throughout, but a bit too much at the beginning.  It was a tricky day for kick wax - hats off to the many 42K finishers.
58K Freestyle
Dennis Feeney 15th overall HSF-40 Bronze/Flite #11 Madshus
Dennis had good skis on Bronze
35K Freestyle
John Stamm 1st age group, 18th overall HSF-30 Salmon/Flite #11 Fischer, factory grind, rilled
Clay Diggins 4th age group, 22nd overall HSF-30 Salmon/Flite #11 Atomic RS10, factory grind, rilled
Excellent skis and a fast & fun race
13K Freestyle
Jessie Diggins WINNER (female) HSF-30 Salmon/Flite #11 Atomic RS10, factory grind, rilled
Deb Diggins 2nd age group, 7th female HSF-30 Salmon/Flite #11 Rossi Xium, factory grind
Great skis!


PreBirkie Hayward, WI  Saturday, February 12  temps low 30's F & rising, sunny
Nikolai Anikin WINNER HSF-30 Salmon/Flite #11 Atomic, light rill
John Stamm 5th age group HSF-30 Salmon/Flite #11 Fischer factory grind
Nikolai enjoyed fast skis, and won the race in an exciting sprint finish.  John had not rilled his skis and felt that rilling would have helped in these conditions.


Alley Loop  Crested Butte, Colorado  Saturday, February 5  temps rising from 3F to low 20's F during race
42K freestyle
Bryan Wickenhauser 16th overall, Men's Open HSF-10 Green over HSF-20 Tan Fischer universal structure
Bryan reported skis that were fast from start to finish.  Other top finishers on Fast Wax were also happy with their skis.


Nordic Spirit Race  Duluth, MN  Saturday, February 5  35F, foggy, very humid  13K freestyle
Grant Nelson 4th overall HSF-40 Bronze/Flite #11
Skis felt very good overall

City of Lakes Loppet  Minneapolis, MN  February 5  cancelled due to snow loss from warm weather
"Our skis were fluoro'd, rilled to go
 Over the slush we would easily flow
 Too bad there wasn't any snow!"
A special Thank You to all the City of Lakes Loppet volunteers who spent many hours shoveling snow in a valiant attempt to save the race.

National Masters Championships  Theodore Wirth Park  Saturday, February 5  45F, melting snow
3x3 Sprint Relay Team Results, classes by comined age totals
Dave Christopherson 1st in class, 4th overall HSF-40 Bronze/Flite #11 Rossi wet grind, rilled
John Stamm 1st in class, 4th overall HSF-40 Bronze/Flite #11 Fischer, coarse rill
Dave and John teamed up with Bruce Christopherson to put in a terrific sprint performance across the sloppy, wet snow


National Masters Championships  Trollhaugen Thursday, February 3  50F, transformed, man-made snow
15K pursuit; 7.5 classic, 7.5 freestyle
Dave Christopherson 2nd age group HSF-40 Bronze/Flite #11 Rossi wet grind, rilled
Clay Diggins 7th age group HSF-40 Bronze/Flite #11 Atomic, rilled

National Masters Championships  Trollhaugen Tuesday, February 1  35F, transformed, man-made snow
10K Freestyle
Kati Campbell 1st age group, 8th female HSF-30 Salmon/Flite #11 Atomics, rilled
Dave Christopherson 3rd age group HSF-30 Salmon/Flite #11 Rossi, Beste grind

Suburban East Conference Championships  Trollhaugen   Tuesday, February 1
5K freestyle  temps lower 30's F, cloudy, mostly man-made snow
Jessie Diggins 5th overall HSF-30 Salmon/Flite #11 Atomic RS-10
"My skis were really fast!"

Noram Super Tour   Telemark, WI   Saturday and Sunday      January  29-30,  2005
10K classic, temperature upper 20's F
Nikolai Anikin 14th overall HSF-30 Salmon/Flite #11 Atomic
15K freestyle, temperature lower 20's
Nikolai Anikin 12th overall HSF-20 Tan/Flite #11 Atomic
"Bruce Bauer and I had the fastest skis and broke away on the downhills"

SMU 10K   St. Mary's University Trails, Winona, MN   January 30, 2005   10K classic  Temp 34F
 
Katherine Himes WINNER HSF-30 Salmon Fischer
Katherine was trying out a new pair of fishscale classic skis.  They were a good solution to the mix of sunny and wooded areas with rapidly warming temps that made this race tricky to wax for.  Salmon was slowing in warm temps; Flite would have made a difference.

Noquemanon Ski Marathon  Marquette, MI  January 29, 2005   51K freestyle
 
Ross Dreger 2nd age group; 9th overall HSF-20 Tan/Flite #11 Rossi
Temps ranged from low 20's at the start to the upper 20's at the finish; Ross had good skis

Seely Hills Classic Birkie Trail, Hayward, WI   January 22, 2005   42K classic
 
Josie Nelson WINNER HSF-10 Green Rossi
Dave Nelson 2nd age group; 3rd overall HSF-10 Green Fischer

Methow Pursuit  Methow Valley Wa.  Saturday & Sunday January 22-23, 2005
Temperature  45 F
15K Classical Saturday, 30K Skate Sunday
 
Dennis Feeney 1st Age Group 
5th Overall		 HSF-40 Bronze/Flite11 Madshus
My Skis were fantastic both days. Love the long glide.
Crested Butte Nordic Center   Crested Butte Co,      Saturday    January 22, 2005
Temperature 10 to 15 F,  Week old snow  beginning to transform
20K Freestyle 
Bryan Wickenhauser 6th Overall HSF-10 Green Fisher 
Fine Structure
 
Skis ran great/fast. I used the HF Green for the water repellency, as the track was taking in a lot of direct sun.
I finished 6th,  (Right behind Jesse Crandall the WSC ski coach , originally from WI) and the 2nd & 3rd place finishers were both on HF- 10 Green as well, reporting very fast skis, with great durability.

Noram Super Tour   Mt Itasca  MN    Saturday and Sunday      January  22-23,  2005
Temperature 10 F, New Snow Soft Trail Saturday, Hard Track on Sunday

10 K Skate
Nikolai Anikin 15 Overall HSF -10 Green Atomic RS11 
Universal Grind
10K Classic
Nikolai Anikin 21 Overall HSF -10 Green Atomic RS11 
Universal Grind
Good skis both days.


Graystone Challenge   Gray Stone Trails,  St. Cloud Mn,   Saturday,   January 22, 2005
Temperature  15 F  Soft new Snow   Wind - moderate NW    70 % humidity
Classic Race
 
Dave Christopherson 1st Age Group 
2nd Overall		 HS-10 Teal Rossi 
Universal Grind
Katherine Himes 2nd overall HSF-10 Green 
VF-30 kick		 Fischer 
soft flex
Skate Race
 
Dave Christopherson 1st Age Group 
3rd Overall		 HS-10 Teal Rossi 
Universal Grind
Katherine Himes 3rd overall HSF-10 Green Fischer
Katherine felt her skis were slower for the skate race than the classic
She finished in 2nd place overall for the pursuit combination

Pepsi Challenge Giants Ridge, Biwabik MN    Saturday   January 22, 2005   48 & 24 K Freestyle & Classic
Temperature  7 F, NW wind 10 to 20 mph,   4 to 6 inches new snow
48 K Freestyle
John Stamm 1st Place Age Group HS 0 - White Fisher (soft) 
Fine Grind
24K Freestyle
Jessie Diggins 3rd Age Group 
14th overall		 HS 0-White Atomic RS-10 
factory grind
Clay Diggins 1st Place Age Group 
8th overall		 HS 0 - White Atomic RS-10 
factory grind

Elm Creek Classic  Maple Grove, MN  January 16, 2005  Temp 1F, light wind, low humidity; fine granular mix snow
 
Dave Christopherson 1st age group 
11th overall		 HS-0 White 
Rode Green multi over Blue Klister for kick wax		 Rossi fine grind

US Cross Country National Championships  Soldier Hollow  Utah  January 10, 2005  30K duathlon/15K each classic and freestyle   Mixture of light rain and snow; slushy conditions
Nikolai Anikin 26th overall HSF-40 Bronze/Flite #11 Atomic, unigrind, heavy rill
Nikolai found his skis to be faster than those of other skiers; "I did not get passed on any of the downhills"

Sawtooth  Pincushion Trails, Grand Marais  MN   January 9, 2005   10K classic/15K freestyle pursuit
Temp 25 F
 
Josie Nelson WINNER HSF-20 Tan Rossignol classic & skate
Grant Nelson WINNER HSF-20 Tan
Dave Nelson 1st age group/2nd overall HSF-20 Tan Fischer classic/Rossi skate
Tan was providing the best glide in town, according to the Nelsons, who all had awesome races!

24 hours of Telemark  Telemark Lodge, Cable, WI   January 8/9, 2005   time/distance race
Temps teens/low 20's F
 
Katherine Himes 6th overall, 12 hour duo category HSF-20 Tan
Katherine and her partner were the 1st place "female only duo", skiing 185 K using both freestyle and classic legs!  Katherine felt her skis were great with Tan.  She used Blue Klister with VF40 over top for kick wax.

Coca-Cola Classic Alexandria, MN  January 9   20K Freestyle
Temps low teens/humid
 
Kati Campbell 1st age group; 3rd overall HSF-20 Tan Fischer

US Cross Country National Championships  Soldier Hollow  Utah  January 3, 2005  30K  freestyle
30 to 32F; light snow, fast conditions
 
Nikolai Anikin 19th overall HSF-30 Salmon/Flite #11 Atomic unigrind
Fast skis and an excellent result for Nikolai in National competition.

Par For the Course  Bend, Oregon  10K Freestyle
Snowing  26F
 
Dennis Feeney 2nd age group, 3rd overall HSF-30 Salmon Madshus Hypersonics
Great Skis

Ridgenator  Giants  Ridge, Biwabik MN   January 1, 2005   Duathlon
Temp 5 F
Josie Nelson WINNER HS-0 White
Grant Nelson 3rd overall HS-10 Teal
Dave Nelson 4th overall HS-10 Teal
"Ridge White" once again lived up to its nickname; Teal was also a good choice. 

Crested Butte, Colorado   Crested Butte Nordic Center    December 18 - Duathalon
Temperature 10 F, Bright Sunny Day
Classic Race
 
Bryan Wickenhauser HSF -20 Tan over HS-20 Blue 
Toko Old Snow Blue Kick Wax		 Fisher  Fine Structure
Skate Race 
Bryan Wickenhauser HSF -20 Tan over HS-20 Blue Fisher Fine Structure
Classic skiers had Tan over Blue, with some Toko old snow blue for Kick.
Skis  were fast, with a fine structure. Skate skis were also Tan over Blue with a fine
structure and were not quite as fast as the CL skis.  The top four men finishers all
had Tan as their wax du jour on Classic & Skate skis, and all reported that the
Classic skis ran great but the skate skis were slower.  They assumed that the Classic
track (which was the first event) was warmed up and therefore had more moisture at
the surface vs. the skate track which was the second event hadn't warmed up as much.
Most athletes chose to do their  warm up with Classic skis so the track saw a lot of
traffic vs the skate lane which  was pretty much untouched until the race got under way.
We all were curious how Green/Teal would've ran on the skate skis????
> Snow temps were -17C at the start and -11C at the finish with lots of sun on  the track.
Crested Butte, Colorado Crested Butte Nordic Center   December 13
Temperature ~ 20 F, Sunny and warm  8 to 10 inches of new snow
Bryan Wickenhauser 5th Overall 
1st Age Group		 HSF -20 Tan Fisher 
Fine Grind


Crested Butte, Colorado   Crested Butte Nordic Center    November 27
Temperature 15 F  42 inches of new snow in 48 hours  (Soft Track)

Bryan Wickenhauser 7th Overall HSF -20 Tan Fisher

West Yellowstone,  Norams    November 26  15K classic
Temperature 25 F
 
Nikolai Anikin 50th Place HSF-20 Tan/Flite #11 Universal Grind